A/N: I have to say that I am elated seeing all the views that this is getting. Over 1k is more than I thought I might get, so I am motivated to put a lot into this. It's a longer chapter for what I have posted so far, over 4K and I hope it's good enough for you all that have followed and reviewed. I think I probably need a beta, but I have no idea how that works tbh, might read up on that if I have time. Love yall!
The frantic chaos the second division was in almost immediately gave Yoruichi a headache. It was not that they were disobedient or untrained, Soi Fon had seen to that, the issue came from the fact that they were too obedient. Mindless soldiers had their place, but in a division that handled some of the most sensitive work in the Gotei, autonomy was a highly valuable skill. The loss of their leadership scrambled them. It took her gathering the entire division that was available, and almost all of the leadership within, and an hour long lecture for some semblance of order to have a chance to emerge again.
She was certainly stern with her words to convey a sense of importance, but she did not want them to feel guilty. They had not been held to her standards or educated on them before, so it was not necessarily their fault. The former and now current captain did not want to start off on a bad foot. They had lost their captain and lieutenant just as much as Yoruichi lost a treasured student. She was more pissed off about the fact that they would throw away their lives so easily and did her best to make that clear. It would most likely take a few days for the dust to settle to a point where they could be productive. However, that gave the Shihouin princess time to get the administrative side of her division in order. Erasing Soi Fon's name would be hell.
Shinji knocked on her door before entering her office to see the violet-haired woman cradling her head in her hands at her desk. "Glad ta see yer getting a break, Captn," he commented, seating himself in the chair across from her, noting that the office was completely barren of any personal effects. She had undoubtedly had them removed to compartmentalize her grief as much as possible. This was pure, grudging, torturous work for her, Shinji could only sympathize with her. He may be her lieutenant due to a deal with Kisuke, but the two shouldered most of the responsibilities equally. She still took the lion's share, especially in terms of face time with the troops.
It amazed the blond man, the amount of trauma she was able to handle and keep going, she had lost her entire life as she knew it multiple times over and kept coming. They left their scars and she did not handle it in a healthy manner, but her grit could not be denied. He could not boast the same closeness as Kisuke or, from what he heard, Ichigo could, but he had been present through most of them. He frowned, most of the ideas that he could come up with on the spot were unlikely to pull her from her funk, but there was a chance.
"Ya know, Ichigo fought all of us back home for three days straight, and barely even lost any blood. You taught him well, Yoruichi."
She sighed and finally raised her head, looking at him wearily. Dark circles under her eyes were a clear indication that she had not been sleeping well at all. "That's good news, at least," she murmured hazily.
Shinji frowned again, it looked like he was not going to be able to get anything further from her. The fact that he was able to get a response in the first place was somewhat surprising. He stood and said "Ya look like shit, go grab a shower and sleep for a few days, I can handle this. You need rest." She was hardly pleased with how he spoke to her, but limply complied. He watched as she shuffled out of her office, a far cry from her usual grace, and speaking of crying, he was able to notice the tear stains on her desk. There were a lot. Just managing was probably the best way to describe her in public, but in private, she needed help. With a mental note to make sure that she was eating, Shinji started to go through some of the more urgent paperwork.
Kisuke squinted at the text, blinking a few times to get his eyes to focus. With a sigh, he set his phone back down. Of course Yoruichi was struggling, she had to work in the office of the pupil that she just lost. The paperwork would be no less forgiving, rewriting all of the orders, replacing Soi Fon's name with her own. It was a cruel punishment for a crime never committed, though the woman probably saw it as penance. She had a tendency to shoulder blame and wallow in her guilt where no one could see it, she hid everything as much as she could. Kisuke slumped in his chair, looking over the multiple coffee cups and dishes cluttering his normally tidy space. He did not have much ground to stand on when it came to healthy habits either. It was some comfort that Shinji was looking out for her at least, though that was by no means a remedy. It was moments like these that made Kisuke hate being a manipulative bastard.
Very few people sparked his interest in anything past a friendly sense, not to say that he could not form emotional bonds, but Kisuke tended to think logically first. He was a scholar and psychology was one of the subjects which he could obtain a high degree in the Human world in if he so chose. A simple piece of paper that would be useful for a human job was not something he was interested in, however. The knowledge was still useful in many situations, but had the end result of the scientist analyzing almost everyone around him in a clinical sense and gave him awareness of minute signals that people had in interpersonal relationships.
The attraction between Yoruichi and Ichigo set them on a collision course, and with how the orange haired young man had changed recently, it may actually lead to something. The two would be immensely distracted by the other the closer they got until they settled into a definable relationship. After that point, Ichigo would undoubtedly fight anything that existed for her sake. The end state would be largely beneficial, but they did not exactly have time to spare at the moment. He needed to talk to Shunsui, the man was a romantic at heart, so there was a decent chance that he would be able to weigh in with a mutually beneficial solution. Ichigo had sacrificed too much, he deserved to be considered as worthwhile and not an ignorant child with too much power. Ichigo had proved time and time again that he was extremely reliable and loyal to a fault. Protect that which Ichigo Kurosaki wants to protect, and you will have a nearly immortal, impossibly powerful ally. With that resolution, Kisuke opted to take a shower to get himself presentable before he went back to Soul Society.
Two months had passed in a blur of pain and strife. Ichigo had plenty of strength, and had trained his control a good deal, but he still struggled with one key problem. When at full power, his touch would kill anyone at a lower evolution. The weight and density of his reiatsu would break down and crush anything not strong enough. Another issue that he uncovered was that he was an Adhuchas Hollow not far from evolving into a Vasto Lorde. Zangetsu was immensely excited about the impending evolution, but since solidifying that, he had begun to feel a hunger when he drew on his Hollow powers more.
His Quincy powers had seen a marked increase in potency as well. While not caught up to his Hollow powers, Ichigo estimated that the attack he could form from his Quincy blade had more penetrating power and speed than a Getsuga with the same effort put in. Another advantage was that it would fire from the tip of the blade almost like a crossbolt. His aim was not the best at the moment, but they would probably kill most things they hit, which was good enough for the hybrid.
Ichigo had also upped his speed, it had taken nearly the whole two months to fully combine the high speed techniques of all three aspects of his powers, but he had done it. Amusingly enough, it was him wondering why the Vizards never tried to use Sonido that put the idea in his head. Starting with Shunpo and Sonido, the combination was wickedly fast and took a lot of strength to pull off. He was somewhat confident that he could actually teach it to the Vizards if they had the durability for it. Hirenkyaku and Shunpo took a lot of balance training, but doable as well. Ichigo gave up on combining his two lesser used powers separately from his Shinigami nature after a few days of abject failure. Tensa Zangetsu was able to use it nearly without thought, unfairly enough. Utilizing all three at once was a breakthrough he would never forget: Tensa Zangetsu went through multiple skyscrapers from being body checked by what they both agreed was probably now the fastest being in the three worlds. Working together with his spirits to train the move was amusing and also incredibly exhausting as he was forbidden to use any independent technique again.
When Ichigo opened his now golden eyes to the dark space within the Dangai, he was greeted with Tessai's stoic, but visibly weakened form. Déjà vu struck him once more as he tore off the sleeves of his coat, gloves forming and ending midway up his forearms. Chains spun from the bottoms of both his swords, wrapping around his arms similar to the first time he had completed his Dangai training. Tessai was further amazed when a subdued red vest flashed into existence underneath his usual coat. Ichigo checked himself over for a moment, satisfied with what he saw, he looked to the man who had helped him without a word for the last two months.
"You will want to lay down and take a deep breath, Tessai. I will seal my reiatsu and I do not want it to knock you unconscious." Ichigo's voice was soft and calm. Weakly complying, Tessai laid supine and breathed in, bracing himself. As soon as he began to take his breath, Ichigo moved. Miles passed in the blink of an eye, distancing himself was the best way to protect the currently weak Tessai. Concentrating, he focused on what they had been training. Gripping the totality of his power, he fell back into shikai, and brought his cataclysmic reiatsu under an iron grip, drawing it back into himself. Ichigo was sure that Tessai had felt the blast when his reiatsu lost its transcendent quality. While not quite able to release his shikai for a usable amount of time, the progress he made was lightyears ahead of what he had before. Ichigo was confident that his touch would not kill those significantly weaker than himself, which was the goal to begin with. Ichigo knew he could bring the transcendent quality back to his reiatsu, but let it be for now so he could adjust to holding back.
Flashing back to the panting and sweating Tessai, Ichigo apologized to him, and thanked him for his selfless dedication. Ending the Kaikyo Kotei, Tessai was still too weak to stand, accepting the slight humiliation that came with Ichigo needing to carry him. "Let me know if I am going too fast, but I will take you to the fourth now." Tessai was momentarily confused, as far as he knew, Ichigo did not know how to open a Senkaimon, but that confusion was banished as the younger man tore a dark hole in reality. Ichigo moved, and he knew no more. Another burst of high-speed movement and Tessai regained consciousness being laid in an empty bed at the forth in time to see a stare down between the normally sweet fourth division captain and the Kuroski.
Restu Unohana had encountered more than her share of dangerous individuals in her long life, herself definitely being one of them, but just being near Ichigo Kurosaki had her reaching for one of her hidden knives. A golden eye calmly assed her as a threat, but not an enemy. "Please tend to Tessai, he has just performed Kaikyo Kotei for two months and is very weak after being exposed to my reiatsu." His voice was even, but his words held enough authority to let her know the situation is urgent enough.
"Of course… Kurosaki, I would like to have a discussion with you at another time, however." Her sickly-sweet voice nearly caused a shudder to run up his spine, she was incredibly dangerous. With a nod, Ichigo was gone. Unohana let out a breath, turning to the wide-eyed man on the bed. She was not completely sure, but there was a decent chance the man knew of her bloody past due to his association with Kisuke. That man possessed a terrifying genius and a well-hidden bloodlust nearly on par with her own. The two had made eye contact at the captains meeting approximately two weeks prior as they were calling upon the strongest captains to prepare for battle once again. Kisuke Urahara at the very least knew that she was the first Kenpachi and was a man who could kill half the captains in the Gotei without them noticing if he felt it was necessary. Another exceedingly dangerous individual.
What made Ichigo special was the fact that it was his presence, not his tightly controlled reiatsu that aroused her bloodthirst. He was a tightly coiled predator with the monstrous strength to place him near the top of the food chain. Someone that Yachiru Unohana had to restrain herself mightily from fighting to the death. She wondered if he knew that his eyes were permanently the Hollow gold which would terrify many. Not that it mattered, she would cross blades with him through whatever means necessary. Her saccharine smile and closed eyes terrified Tessai back into unconsciousness as she tended to him.
Alarms had sounded the moment he appeared into the Seireitei, and considering the effort it took for him to create a garganta within the dome, that was most likely what set it off. Ichigo was at the steps of the first division moments after he left the fourth, still off-put from Unohana. Her sudden bloodthirst was like a bucket of ice water down his spine. There must be something about her that Ichigo was not sure if he wanted to actually know. He was perfectly content with letting the medic captain remain a healer in his mind, but his instincts would not stand for ignoring someone who trembled in excitement at the thought of spilling blood.
Shunsui Kyoraku was actually at the top of the stairs, a surprised look on his face as he beheld the young man in front of him. There were minor cosmetic changes to the outfit that he has last seen him in, but the golden eyes and the second blade at his hip in addition to the one on his back were the most surprising. The controlled reiatsu was also new, and notable, since the young man definitely outclassed himself in strength now.
Recovering from his surprise, Kyoraku greeted him: "What brings you to the Seireitei? Not that I am not happy to see you, but the manner in which you arrived caused quite a stir. Come in and have some tea, unfortunately Kisuke just left, and…" He cut off his words with a chuckle, unsurprised at the turn of events. Beckoning to look behind him, Kyoraku turned and walked back into his office and sent a message to shut the alarms off. They would have to key their resident hybrid's reiatsu into their detection system, but in the mean time it worked as a fine option for drilling his soldiers.
Ichigo spun just in time to catch the purple-haired blur impacting his chest, taking him off his feet. It surprised him that his instincts did not react to her as a threat and he was able to be gentle with her. Both stayed still for a few moments, just reabsorbing the other's presence. After a few moments, Yoruichi pulled back and studied the changes to his appearance, her laughter remarkably light and free when she played with his longer, shaggy hair. Two pairs of golden eyes stared into one another, Ichigo noted with concern the dark bags pulling at her eyelids, lines of stress marring her normally flawless beauty. He cupped her face, causing her to lean into his touch.
"You feel stronger, how was training?" She asked him softly, her voice slightly raspy.
"I missed you. The other guys in my head aren't the best company comparatively." He murmured, hugging her to his chest again. He felt her melt into him, tension releasing from her form. "They took offense to that, but they can shove it." They both snorted at his spirits' predictable responses. Ichigo already knew she would not be willing to talk about herself, so he let her go without asking, though his concern was visible.
A slight thrill of fear rushed through her when she noticed, but it was unfounded. She was glad he knew her well enough to refrain from asking in a public space, she would break down right then and there if he did. Shaking her head and straightening, she stood up and offered a hand. Slowly, they both rose to their feet. Letting go of his gloved hand, she pushed him forwards towards the stairs, "we shouldn't keep him waiting, we can talk more later, Ichigo."
He nodded and the two climbed the stairs into the first division and were guided to Kyoraku's office. Much to the surprise of the younger Shinigami, Yamamoto was also present, though Shunsui sat at the desk.
"Please sit and have some tea, Kurosaki-san, you seem to have spent more time than the rest of us training recently, please tell me what happened?"
Nearly three hours passed as the four talked, though it was mostly questions from either Shunsui or Ichigo that drove conversation. Yamamoto was largely silent, though he interjected at times with remarkable insight that only someone of his experience could provide. When asked, he remarked that it was time for the younger generation to handle today's problems without any further elaboration. All others present conceded to his wisdom.
Yoruichi began to yawn and leaned on Ichigo's shoulder by the end of the second hour, all of her input had been discussed, now it was up to the transcendent beside her. If the others had something to comment about the casual contact, they remained silent on the matter. While the other captains were impressed at the strength the hybrid now wielded, the could not exactly find a solution for where he stood in relation to the Gotei 13. His strength was not exactly disputed, though Yamamoto finally spoke up to offer training. That piqued the attention of all present: Yamamoto had not taken a student since Kyoraku and Ukitake. Initial plans were made for Ichigo to meet the elderly captain at the first division the next morning, but for now, they would retire for the night.
It surprised no one present when Yoruichi dragged Ichigo off, though he still balked at the Shihouin mansion, practically a castle surrounded by a manor. The grounds were beautifully kept, and while not overly gaudy, the surrounding buildings were of better construction than most royalty in the human world could enjoy. She chuckled at his marveling of the wealth displayed but tugged him along with a promise that she would show him around later.
His shock continued when they got to her private quarters, the sheer opulence of her room alone would bankrupt even mid-size companies. As soon as the servants were directed to prepare the baths for them and the doors closed behind them, Yoruichi flashed back to Ichigo, crossing the distance of "propriety" in a fraction of a blink. The sudden embrace was soothing for both of them.
It seemed that she had been struggling without him. His smile softened, it had been a long two months without her, but the inner desire to protect her had certainly kept him going. His resolve had never waivered on that, though acknowledging his feelings had taken some exceptional beatings by his Hollow counterpart. He could say without a doubt that he cared more for her than their previous relationship of mentor and student would normally allow for. Such customs meant little to him, he would do his best to help her and would accept whatever she chose. Now was hardly the time, however, her comfort was a priority.
A quick bath for each of them, Ichigo was provided with silk sleeping wear and she was dressed similarly. When the servants attempted to provide him with separate quarters, the Shihouin princess rebuffed their efforts, shutting them out without further comment. Ichigo was mildly nervous at the implications but set his feelings aside to let her lead him to her enormous and impossibly soft bed. They settled into the positions that they had started getting used to in the Urahara shop: Yoruichi curled up against him with her back to his side, her head resting on his arm, while his other arm wrapped around her waist and held her close. She made a small noise of contentment and sighed, drifting off to sleep almost immediately to the calming feeling of Ichigo's presence. Ichigo contemplated his feelings in silence, pleased at his current situation of holding the woman that he cared immensely for.
Yoruichi represented a lot for him. She was his mentor and taught him more than he would ever be able to thank her for. A large portion of his ability to protect those that he held dear could be attributed to her guidance. In that, she had already won his heart. Her passionate teaching and fire had inspired him to learn more about the goddess of flash. What he found brought him some melancholy admiration. It was far more than just her physical beauty. Ichigo was just beginning to appreciate the haunting allure of the deeper and darker side of the princess.
Yoruichi suffered far more than she let on at a moment's glance, but spending enough time with her, just observing her reactions, truly revealed a depth that she showed no one. She hid her feelings and drowned in her guilts and regrets, her normally keen mind working against her. Ichigo could not help but want to help her, he listened to her, something she appreciated him doing. She did not thank him often, and he was not one that needed constant affirmation so it created no friction thankfully. It was still a very tentative situation on both sides. Ichigo was again thankful that his Hollow beat some of his obtuseness out of him, emotional sensitivity was new.
The way she acted towards him conveyed her gratitude enough to let him know that his efforts were not in vain. Her immediately seeking him out earlier was telling, there were tears in her eyes as she dove into his chest. She missed him just as much as he missed her. Ichigo was more than satisfied with that, not that he wanted her to cry, but her dragging him back to her own bedroom to sleep made him happy that she had faith that him being there would help her. He would not pressure her, but he was resolved to convey how he felt. Satisfied, Ichigo drew her even closer, tucking his face in the back of her neck and breathed in her comforting scent that he did not realize how much he missed.
I know it may seem that Ichigo is overpowered, but the situation is far more complicated than the power of one individual can handle. Yamamoto would have fixed it himself if that were possible. I am happy with how this one turned out, let me know what you guys thought please!